1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ratcheting tools of the type having a head that is finely adjustable in an angular position relative to a handle.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 14 and 15 of the drawings illustrate a conventional ratcheting tool having a head 10' adjustable relative to a handle 20'. The head 10' includes an extension 11' with a number of teeth 12' formed on an end thereof. An end of the handle 20' includes two walls having a compartment 21' defined therebetween. A pin 22' is extended through aligned holes (one of them is a screw hole) of the walls of the end of the handle 20' and through a hole (not labeled) in the extension 11' of the head 10'. A longitudinal hole 26' and a transverse hole 27' are defined in the handle 20' and located below the walls, wherein an upper end of the longitudinal hole 26' communicates with the compartment 21' and the transverse hole 27' intersects the longitudinal hole 26' at a mediate portion of the latter. A spring 28' and a ball 29' are mounted in a lower portion of the longitudinal hole 26'. A push pin 30' is extended through the transverse hole 27' and includes a positioning notch 31' in an underside thereof for engaging with the ball 29'. The push pin 30' further includes an inclined face 32' in an upper side thereof. The push pin 30' has a length greater than that of the transverse hole 27' such that two ends of the push pin 30' are exposed outside the handle 20' for manual operation. A ball 33', a spring 34', and a catch 35' are mounted in an upper portion of the longitudinal hole 26', best shown in FIG. 15. The catch 35' includes a receptacle 36' for receiving the spring 34' and a portion of the ball 33' that rests on the inclined face 32'. The catch 35' further includes an inclined underside 37' having the same inclination as the inclined face 32'. The catch 35' is biased upward by the spring 34' to engage with the teeth 12' of the head 10', thereby retaining the head 10' in a desired angular position with respect to the handle 20'. When the push pin 30' is pushed, the lower ball 29' is lowered and the upper ball 33' is also lowered, as shown in FIG. 15. The upper spring 34' and the catch 35' are also lowered such that the catch 35' disengages from the teeth 12' of the head 10'. Thus, the head 10' may be pivoted to a desired angular position relative to the handle 20' and the push pin 30' is then released to thereby retain the head 10' in the desired angular position.
Nevertheless, such an arrangement is too complicated (two sets of balls and springs are required) and has limited angular adjustment, since there are only six teeth 12' on the head 10'. The ratcheting tool cannot perform its function if the fastener to be tightened/loosened is located in a position that cannot be reached by the five angular positions of the head. The retaining function of the catch 35' by only one tooth is also too small and thus incapable of reliably retaining the head 10' in place. A further drawback of the complicated structure is that the catch 35' and the teeth 12' tend to disengage from each other when the balls 29' and 33' and the springs 28' and 34' are impinged.
FIGS. 16 through 18 of the drawings illustrate another conventional ratcheting tool having a head 110' adjustable relative to a handle 120'. The head 110' includes an extension 111' with a number of teeth 112' formed on an end thereof. An end of the handle 120' includes two walls having a compartment 121' defined therebetween. A pin 122' is extended through aligned holes (one of them is a screw hole) of the walls of the end of the handle 120' and through a hole (not labeled) in the extension 111' of the head 110'. A longitudinal hole 127' and a transverse hole 126' are defined in the handle 120' and located below the walls, wherein an upper end of the longitudinal hole 127' communicates with the compartment 121' and the transverse hole 126' intersects the longitudinal hole 127' at a lower portion of the latter. A turnknob 128' includes a stem 133' extended through the transverse hole 126' and having a stem 133' with a higher profile portion 135' and a lower profile portion 134'. A ball 129', a spring 130', and a catch 131' are mounted in an upper portion of the longitudinal hole 127', best shown in FIG. 17. The catch 131' includes a receptacle 136' for receiving the spring 130' and the ball 129' that rests on the stem 133'. The catch 131' further includes a tooth 137' for engaging with the teeth 112' of the head 110'. When the ball 130' rests on the higher profile portion 135' (FIG. 18), the catch 131' is biased upward by the spring 130' to engage with the teeth 112' of the head 110', thereby retaining the head 110' in a desired angular position with respect to the handle 120'. When the turnknob 128' is turned to a position in which the ball 130' rests on the lower profile portion 134', the ball 130' is lowered. The spring 130' and the catch 131' are also lowered such that the tooth 137' of the catch 131 ' disengages from the teeth 112' of the head 110'. Thus, the head 110' may be pivoted to a desired angular position relative to the handle 120' and the turnknob 128' is then turned to the initial position to thereby retain the head 110' in the desired angular position.
Nevertheless, such an arrangement is still too complicated and has limited angular adjustment, since there are only six teeth 112' on the head 110'. The ratcheting tool cannot perform its function if the fastener to be tightened/loosened is located in a position that cannot be reached by the five angular positions of the head. The retaining function of the catch 131' by only one tooth is also too small and thus incapable of reliably retaining the head 110' in place. In addition, the user must use both hands to proceed with such adjustment.